Chessmaster

List Price: $19.99 Discount Price: $16.90

Features:

• Extensive course on the basics of chess taught by International Chess Master Josh Waitzkin
• Tutorials from Josh Waitzkin's groundbreaking book The Art of Learning
• Attacking Chess course commentary by Grandmaster Larry Christiansen
• 900 of chess's most important games presented and analyzed; single or multiplayer gameplay
• 600,000+ game database; coverage of all classic and modern opening variations

Customer Reviews:

A great way to learn chess [Posted on 2008-04-26]
This is how I, my 10 year old son, and 6 year old son learned to play. The tutorials and advice were excellent.

The only reason it did not get 5 stars is that it has a bug where if you start in tutorial mode one needs to reset the layout in order to get the icon for the menu which will allow you to get out of the mode and play a game. Other than this it seems to work fine.

A word of advice, check the suggested processor and memory before buying and installing it. Using the game on a slower processor causes the 3D games to be so sluggish they are unusable.

Great Chess Partner [Posted on 2008-05-09]
I have Chessmaster 10th edition. I bought this one because some reviewers were saying it was more stable AND reports that you could run the game without the CD (10th edition requires CD in the tray to run). You CAN run this version without the CD.

The interface is definitely improved and the game does not have as many visual flaws in it that the 10th edition had. I like how the new sets are structured. Also it is cool how you have to play a certain number of games to "unlock certain sets." That is kind of a reward/motivator to play more games.

Yes, this edition also uses more than one core if you have a dual/quad core (I have a quad). On my Quad it uses 2 cores at 100% instead of just 1 core at 100% as before. Those of you with older computers might not find this a good thing (I see some reviews claim lockups). I have an XFX Nvidia 8800 GT graphics card - this game runs smooth and is beautiful!

For the kids this game has the fun section with some seriously entertaining chess sets. Nothing like a fun way to play chess!

Warning: There is a massive update when you get done installing the software. It is over 100MB if I remember right - took a good 15 mins to download on my high speed cable.

Should you update to this edition if you have 10th edition? Yes - the fact that you don't have to use the CD is worth $20 for me.

THIS PROGRAM IS AWESOME [Posted on 2008-06-06]
I started playing Chess in 2000 and at the time thought I was ok. I was playing online. After getting beat up I purchased Chessmaster 6000 (maybe 8000) and used the Academy to get better. And now we are at the Grandmaster addition.

I have both Fritz and Chessmaster. I use Fritz for my serious study and game analysis. I bought Chessmaster for my kids. I already have Chessmaster 10th Edition on my home pc but lost the disk so I bought Grandmaster Edition for my laptop.

Many improvements in the Grandmaster addition. Over 20 3d Chessboards that are awesome. They added a bunch of House of Staunton chess sets that are 3d and very realistic looking. Four animated kids sets that are insane. I was even playing with them. The Josh Waitzkin academy is phenominal. I love sitting back and just watching him explain his annotated games.

So if you want a great program to analyze and study game and be able to store millions of games in a database buy Fritz. Read D. Lester's review. I completely agree with him.

If you want a kids game with insane graphics, an awesome chess course, mini chess games, chess coach, teaching while they play, and much more Chessmaster is the best. Period!

Excellent Chess Tutorial & Game [Posted on 2008-06-07]
This is the best version so far. It's particularly good for those who are new to the game or who want to learn new strategies. It includes both the classic tutorials which are comprehensive, as well as the new "art of learning" tutorials narrated by chess expert Josh Waitzkin. The tutorials overlap but that is a good thing since it reinforces all the knowledge. Anyone interested in learning chess can't go wrong this this program, especially for the discounted price it's selling at these days.

Great way to start playing chess [Posted on 2008-07-11]
This is my family's favorite computer game now. I find the tutorial and games with audio commentary fascinating...almost like watching a good movie. My kids (6 & 10) enjoyed the tutorials, and they love to play against the computer simulated players (with name and personality). At this price, it's a great bargain. It's a great way to start to learn to play chess, and the kids are getting pretty good.

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